First Private Space Vehicle Launchpad in India

Why in News?

  •  Chennai-based space tech startup Agnikul Cosmos inaugurated India’s first private space vehicle has recently launchpad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) in Sriharikota

Highlights

  • It was executed in support of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)
    and IN-SPACe (Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Center).
  • The facility has two parts: the Agnikul launchpad and the Agnikul mission control centre, which are four kilometres apart.
  • The launchpad has been designed to accommodate and support liquid stage-controlled launches.
  • Agnikul Cosmos is planning to launch its Agnibaan rocket from this launchpad
  • The launchpad is specifically built to address the need for ISRO’s range operations team to monitor key flight safety parameters during launches.
  • Additionally, it has the ability to share data and other critical information with ISRO’s Mission Control Center.
  • Agnibaan is a two-stage launch vehicle that is capable of taking payloads of up to 100 kilograms to a low-earth orbit around 700 kilometres from the surface of the Earth.
  • It will be powered by the company’s 3D-printed Agnilet engines.
  • Agnilet is the world’s first single-piece 3-D printed engine fully designed and manufactured in India and was successfully test-fired in early 2021, making Agnikul the first company in the country to test its engines at ISRO.
  • The Agnilet rocket Is a “semi-cryogenic” engine that uses a mixture of liquid kerosene and supercold liquid oxygen to propel itself.
  • The engine Is very complex and it functions at very high temperatures
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